History of eCigs

Disclaimer: As per FDA regulations a e-Cigarette retailer engaged in the sale of vapor product can not make any health claims regarding electronic cigarette devices. The information found below is not a health claim on behalf of Zee Cigs Vapor and should not be viewed as such. These are quotes from recent news articles and should not be viewed as health claims made by Zee Cigs.

The History of electronic cigarettes in the United States of America

The birth of electronic cigarettes

Many users of electronic cigarettes are unaware that the modern day vapor eCigarette was invented in China back in the year 2000. That's right, the eCig is nearing the twenty year mark (in 2020). It was not until 2006 (approx) that vape electronic cigarette models started appearing here in the United States of America.

What about the United States?

Speculation is that due to the restrictive nature of the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), many eCigarette manufacturers and their respective retailers did not considered the American marketplace as a viable option. With Asia's massive population and high percentage of smokers there was little reason to deal with all of the regulation here in the USA, even Europe and Russia started seeing eCigarette products for sale before electronic cigarettes hit the U.S. marketplace.

The First American Electronic Cigarette Retailers

The first major retailer in the U.S. marketplace was Njoy and Smoking Everywhere. The pioneering retailers were based online, small retail stores and in mall kiosks and the companies grew fast.

Online Sales Take Off with BluCigs Electronic Cigarettes

BluCigs was the first large scale internet based retailer and during this time they had an interesting concept. BluCigs focused on internet SEO and affiliate programs while offering electronic cigarette at unheard of price points with discounted cheap bargain prices. The only drawback was a twelve week wait from time of purchase to delivery. It is unknown if this was due to customer order demand and stock on hand or whether the BluCig product was not even ordered until the BluCigs customer's placed their order. The second option is a very viable theory as not holding inventory greatly reduced overhead costs permitting BluCigs to operate at much lower costs over competitors.

BluCigs was the first large scale online electronic cigarette retailer here in the USA. Because Blu Cigs offered complete units at such a low cost many customers were willing to try these new electronic cigarettes as the risk to cost ratio was so low. A likely reason that customers waited out Blu Cigs twelve week delivery time is mainly due to the lack of any other large scale competition.

Credit and Blame Regarding the FDA

Credit and blame should also be given to Njoy Electronic Cigarettes Brand and Smoking Everywhere Electronic Cigarettes Brand, credit should be given to both Njoy and Smoking Everywhere as they flipped the legal bills to fight the FDA's import ban which was imposed in 2009. The blame portion falls upon Smoking Everywhere Electronic Cigarettes Brand as they boasted a marketing campaign stating electronic cigarettes were healthy and not harmful in anyway, these electronic cigarette health statements enacted the full force of the FDA resulting in an importation ban, Canada, Mexico and several other countries follow suit.

FDA in Federal Court

The FDA lost the import ban in federal court with Judge Leon ruling that electronic cigarettes was a tobacco product and that he did not view e-Cigarettes as a pharmaceutical product, furthermore Judge Leon found that the FDA’s claims regarding health risks did not hold any merit. The FDA which also oversees and regulates tobacco products announced they would implement deeming regulation on electronic cigarettes products. Njoy succeeded and came out of this costly legal battle intact however Smoking Everywhere did not fair so well with the financial hardship of such an expensive and time consuming court battle bankrupted the company.

Deeming Regulation Looms

The Federal Drug Administration's threat of deeming regulation was a viable one and a real concern to the success of electronic cigarettes in the USA. Through sheer luck the FDA regulation was not enacted on several occasions. Two occasions can be attributed to government budget freezes with a third occasion stemming from President Obama’s re-election campaign as it's common knowledge that sitting presidents authorize the least amount of regulations as these new regulations can negatively affect a presidential campaign.

The sheer luck that the FDA’s regulation was not enacted allowed for a rapid growth of the electronic cigarette vapor industry as we know it today. If the FDA regulation was imposed in 2010 the vapor eCigarette market would not exist in the United States anywhere near the current successful economic level the vapor industry currently holds.

Big Tobacco Grabs Electronic Cigarettes by Storm

In 2012 One of the large tobacco companies Lorillard purchased the privately held BluCigs electronic cigarettes for 135 million dollars, At that time BluCigs had about $30 million in revenues in 2011. In 2012 the Blu Cigs Electronic Cigarettes Brand was sold in more than 13,000 retail outlets, including Walgreens, CVS and Sheetz. BluCigs major competitors in 2012 where dozens of smaller electronic cigarettes brands, including NJOY, 21st Century, Halo, Johnson Creek and Xhale02, that sold electronic cigarettes product in brick and mortar stores and through online vapor retailers. Lorillad purchased and started to produce BluCig branded electronic cigarettes a flood producst quality complaints were noted in all of the popular electronic cigarettes forums of the day.

Lorillard Tobacco Company is an American tobacco company marketing cigarettes under the brand names Newport, Maverick, Old Gold, Kent, True, Satin, and Max. Lorillard was the first American based tobacco company to purchase a privately held eCigarette company. Currently every major American based tobacco company has either entered the electronic cigarette marketplace or made public statements that they are developing eCig products for future sale, RJ Reynolds owns Vuse and Philip Morris USA owns MarkTen.

Of course these public statements come at no surprise as electronic cigarettes sales increased a notable reduction in traditional tobacco cigarettes sales aligned with these marketplace fluctuations.

Nearly 99% of electronic cigarettes offered at major retailers including Costco, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Walgreens and nearly every major gas station across america are produced by the large American tobacco companies. Commonly these electronic cigarettes hold older technologies with the product being made mainly in China and by other foreign manufacturers. These brands do indeed have proprietary nicotine liquid blends with ingredients that are currently unknown and no ingredient listings are currently available publicly for these electronic cigarette brands.

American small business has seen a great deal of growth with both online and brick and mortar stores offering vapor products. One of the most notable advantages of vapor eCigarettes entering the U.S. market was the evolution of eCig models and the quality and variety of refill nicotine liquid also called smoke juice, eJuice, juice, liquid and smoke oil.

The Big Electronic Cigarette Tech Boom Begins in the USA

Surprisingly a great deal of electronic cigarettes technology improvements came from thinkers and tinkers right here in the USA who collaborated on ECF a electronic Cigarette Forum. The Chinese Manufacturers took notice and implemented many of these designs and improvements into mainstream electronic cigarettes models.

American creativity really shined during these years as previously only a handful of electronic cigarette models were introduced and all of these models were very similar in design and output. From 2010 to 2014 massive cutting edge materials and designs were used by these pioneering eCig DIYer’s.

I would like to point out a quick and kind of funny story regarding these times and the impact that could be seen across the United States. A very smart DIYer was experimenting with ceramic material for an electronic cigarette coil, which makes allot of sense as ceramic handles heat very well and does not burn like many of the materials used such as silica or cotton. The issue was finding a porous ceramic material that would hold the eLiquid as liquid would simply slide off of smooth ceramic surfaces.

The idea was sound as a ceramic coil might outlast a traditional coil by ten times or more providing a very long lifespan. Well the ceramic material was indeed found in the form of a fish tank filter. In a matter of 72 hours every fish store and pet supply store was sold out of these ceramic filters leaving allot of fish owners scratching their heads to what the heck just happened. During these years allot of retailers of items you would not associate with electronic cigarettes were witnessing massive product demand which was linked to electronic cigarettes.

The single most important DIY eCig part attributed to the success and innovation of modern day eCigs is what is now called the “Mechanical Mod”. This portion of a DIY electronic cigarette is a battery housing (made of either metal or wood) that contains a battery, positive and negative contact points and a fire button. The word mechanical was coined in the forums as there mod’s had no safety chips limiting the power output and protection of an electrical short as a safety measure resulting in the word “mechanical”. Mechanical Mods is a modern day way of “playing with fire”.

With these mechanical mods DIYer’s could now build their own top ends (tanks) and create their own coils, in the beginning safety was a top concern and the DIYer’s were commonly professionals in their own right, it was not uncommon to see scientists, electrical engineers, doctors and master electricians toying with new designs. As designs improved so did the vapor output, this started to create issues within the electronic cigarette community as many amateurs were now monkeying around with mechanical mods. It was not long before pandora’s box was opened and we heard of the first exploding electronic cigarette.

The issue was simple, relatively new users would fall down a rabbit hole of online information and follow some of the instructions and DIY designs but allot of the instructions were ignored and attention to safety was overlooked. Lack of knowledge and sheer stupidity showcased the first electronic cigarette explosion with a man creating a electronic cigarette from a mini maglight DIY design. The man made three grave errors, one was not following strict instructions on coil building, this resulted in an electrical short. Using unprotected batteries (some batteries have a protection chip built in stopping any possible electrical short) and finally he did not drill a hole in the mini mag DIY mod.

Electronic Cigarettes Do Not Just Blow Up

Electronic cigarettes do not just blow up as they contain lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion can cause a runaway reaction if shorted, which, if held in your hand can causes burns and can cause a fire but they do not blow up (do yourself a favor and on YouTube search for “Lithium Ion Runaway”). A good point to study on this matter is the recent issue with Samsung Galaxy Smartphone fires. In all of the news you heard “catching on fire” which was the term used as they did not blow up.

Electronic cigarettes use the same battery technology along with laptops, Prius, Tesla, Boeing Airplanes, heck if you have an item that is rechargeable 99% of the time it has a lithium-ion batteries built in. So how does one get a electronic cigarettes to blow up? Well in the case of the DIY mini maglite design the DIY user did not drill a vent hole. Without a vent hole the lithium-ion’s runaway reaction built up until the housing exploded under immense pressure. It takes allot of mistakes to make a eCigarette blow up as any device professionally made by a reputable company has a vent hole.

Mainstream Media Misleads The Public

Mainstream media has repeatedly misreported these news stories, if we still had good reporters, we the public, would get sensible and understandable information resulting in awareness. You should stay away from Mechanical Mods but mainstream electronic cigarettes are as safe as any other electrical devices that uses lithium-ion technology.

Exploding Electronic Cigarettes Become Mainstream To Public Consumers!

As we mentioned above, Mechanical Mods were pretty exclusive to DIY eCigarette users. In 2013 the vapor industry saw a huge shift with Mechanical Mods being sold mainstream as china manufacturers were actively marketing these mods to retailers. The reasoning was simple, mechanical mods coupled with DIY tanks allowed users to build their own coil resulted in vapor output previously unseen. If you witnessed a eCig user blow out a five foot vapor plume odds are good its a mechanical mod or rig. This prompted the young bloods (yes, we call them young bloods as they are between the ages of 18 to about 25 years old) to jump into the vapor revolution as they started doing vape tricks. You will find thousands of videos on YouTube of young bloods performing all kind of tricks and I must admit some are pretty mind blowing with big vapor rings floating as the user blows smaller heart shaped rings within. The shows can go on for seconds or minutes depending on the skill of the user.

Mechanical Mod Forces a Plane to Make an Emergency Landing

Mechanical Mods have hurt traditional electronic cigarettes users for years, as an example the TSA recently created new policies that electronic cigarettes are allowed in carry on baggage but electronic cigarettes are not allowed in Checked baggage. The reason? A young blood (yes, we call them young bloods as they are between the ages of 18 to about 25 years old) tossed a mechanical mod into his checked luggage. The Mechanical Mod engaged while in flight (yes, the moron did not remove the battery or turn off the mod) causing an emergency landing as the sensors detected a fire in the plane's luggage compartment (High levels of vapor will set off a smoke alarm, word to the wise the next time you are in a airplane bathroom). So you can thank Mechanical Mods for the electronic cigarette airline travel restrictions.

With Greed Comes Pitfalls!

As Mechanical mods are so easy and cheap to produce the Mechanical Mod marketplace exploded (yea, we see the humor in that statement). Thousands and thousands of users started using these mechanical vapor rigs. The issue was lack of training with retailers and if the retailer was trained the lack of attention the customer provided to learn the safety protocols. No one seemed to care and with carelessness comes tragedy. Every mainstream media report or facebook post showcasing an electronic cigarette explosion is attributed to mechanical mod electronic cigarettes.

Here's Some Good News!

Thankfully in 2015 technology improved and mainstream electronic cigarette models from reputable electronic cigarette manufacturers were introduced for sale. These newer eCig models produce allot of vapor and are well made models that can compete with the classic DIY Mechanical Mod, as unsafe as mechanical rigs are knowledge within the vapor community finally prevailed but it took some eCigs to explode for users to finally listen to the warnings about Mechanical MODs. The newer mainstream electronic cigarettes have built in protection and yes, vent holes just incase!

Here’s Some Bad News!

Just when you thought the electronic cigarette market was out of the woods regarding a “electronic cigarette explode” news articles we regret to inform you that we are not out of the woods. Previously I spoke about mechnical DIY mods, the batteries used for these devices are 18650 batteries which are perfect for eCigs. The size of the battery is manageable but the onboard energy storage is incredibly good. Without these batteries we would not have units that can produce 100watt and 200watt output.

These batteries have now become mainstream for almost all electronic cigarette models that offer a removable battery. These batteries are perfectly safe in electronic cigarette models with built in protection. So what's the problem? The problem is many users will chuck that very powerful battery in their pocket or a change tray in their car. Now, you have a very powerful lithium-ion battery that is unprotected and exposed to metal objects such as keys or coins resulting in a huge safety risk for the user. Knowledge is power and in this case it will also keep you safe.

Liar Liar, Your Pants Are On Fire!

In 2016 a video went viral on social media and on all major news outlets in the United States which featured the story of an electronic cigarette exploding in a man's pants. If you have a chance to watch the video it's an eye popping video which starts with a clerk behind a counter, the security cameras catch the action as all of the sudden his pant’s catch on fire. Well the first thing to point out is the fact of no explosion as in this case it was a Lithium-Ion runaway reaction. So what about the electronic cigarette explosion! There was no electronic cigarette. It was in fact an 18650 removable battery that the man used for his electronic cigarette.

The man placed the battery in his pants with no protection, all it took was whatever metal objects he had in his pants to cause a short which resulted in the viral video footage. These batteries are used in many devices including flashlights, cameras and a host of other electronic products. Again, Mainstream Media ran with the story featuring “electronic cigarettes” but in reality it was a 18650 battery and poor judgment of the user by mishandling the batteries..

Electronic Cigarettes Contain Formaldehyde, Really?

There is an electronic cigarette study that was featured by almost every major news outlet in the USA. It featured this headline “electronic cigarettes contain formaldehyde”. Wow, that would scare the pants off of any eCigarette user or future eCig user. The real question is, truth or lie? With every lie there is often a half truth. A study was performed on electronic cigarettes and during the study electronic cigarettes passed every safety protocol.

At the end of the study a very powerful vape rig was put to the test, during this test the unit was set to maximum power and was fired non-stop with minimal nicotine liquid ( we suspect it was a 200watt unit). During this time formaldehyde, heavy metals and all kinds of toxins were recorded. This is to be expected as the top end of the unit was overheating. At these levels no sane person would hold a unit in this condition let alone inhale, I doubt you could try to inhale as your would burn your mouth pretty badly.

Just like an automobile or house fire, when materials burn it creates toxins because it's ON FIRE! Just like the “antifreeze” misinformation, yet again we are given sound bites and headlines to shock us. Unfortunately this hurts a would be new users. The media reporting this story was legally justified as they also published a link to the full study, the problem is no one read the entire study including the reporters and the public.

This same study has also produced several articles featuring “Vapor cigarettes contain harmful heavy metals that could be inhaled”. This misinformation all stems from the end of the same study that featured Formaldehyde.

The Dark Days Of 2016 For eCigarettes

Just when things were really looking up it all comes crashing down. Since 2009 we have seen more and more studies focused on electronic cigarette health and harmful effects. In the United States American Media has not been kind to the reported studies regarding electronic cigarette health and safety.

In 2016 one of the largest electronic cigarettes studies was published in Britain, finally a conclusive in depth study regarding the health of electronic cigarettes and possible harmful effects. I would love to tell you the results but I am forbidden due to current FDA regulation restricting me from making any claims to health regarding electronic cigarettes so you will have to find that info on your own.

One week after the big electronic cigarettes study is published in Britain the FDA enacts its deeming regulation, and yes it’s as bad as it gets for Americans. Simply put as of August 8th 2018 any electronic cigarette product including hardware and eLiquid juice that was created or produced after February 15, 2007 will not be permitted for sale. Folks, that is the entire vapor industry as we know it.

So how could this happen? Simple, the FDA envolked the Tobacco Control Act of 2007 and aimed it right at the vapor industry. The intentions of the lawmakers in 2007 was in good intentions as this act was aimed at big tobacco and electronic cigarettes useage was almost unheard of in 2007 here in the United States.

Time and time again, it appears that lobbyists are doing a great job at manipulation and of course lawyers are hard at work. The outcome of electronic cigarettes in the United States is unknown. Fortunately many electronic cigarettes consumer advocacy groups (such as CASAA) are working hard and the battle continues, frankly speaking this battle has been going since 2009.

Shawn made a video about this exact scenario over three years ago and it’s still available for viewing on our YouTube channel. If you research this matter you will find that if a vapor product applies for a PMTA application the FDA can approve your product. The issue with this scenario is that no small business can afford this process. For example, it is estimated that if we submit PMTA for our eLiquid line it would cost us 100 million or more. It appears that only very large billion dollar companies could afford and legally navigate this application process.

The Birth of A Black Market For Electronic Cigarettes

We still hold hope for electronic cigarettes in the United States. But preparations for the future should also be planned. If regulations remain unchanged you can bet that ZeeCigs will be offshore and if you chose to purchase our product online it would be your choice.

Frankly speaking these regulations will do nothing but harm the American public, black markets will open within America and Americans will simply purchase electronic cigarettes and eLiquid internationally as we are now in a digital world. The real issue is the loss of over 250,000 jobs and the tens of thousands of small electronic cigarettes businesses that will close. The lose of taxes to America and worst of all no real regulation regarding the safety and quality control needed for nicotine eLiquid juice that has been needed for years now.

Progression of Electronic Cigarettes Over The Years

Below is a brief overview of the most popular eCigarette models, settings and features and where they stand in today's vapor product marketplace.

Pen Series Electronic Cigarettes

Sometimes called the 901 electronic cigarette Model or DSE901 Model
Size is similar to a large pen and is the original size offered, often referred to as the 901 e-cigarettes model, This eCigarette model is a three piece unit which includes a refillable plastic cartridge, a heating element called an atomizer and a lithium-ion battery. These models have a short battery life and very limited liquid storage capabilities requiring refilling often by the user. Currently this model is rarely sold in the U.S. marketplace.

Smaller than a pen but larger than a traditional cigarette the 510 electronic cigarette models were introduced as a three piece unit which includes a refillable plastic cartridge, a heating element called an atomizer and a lithium-ion battery. These models also came in a newer two piece version that combined and sealed the cartridge and atomizer into one piece which are named cartomizers.

The 510 eCig model offers a workhorse of a heating element and is a well received improvement over previous models such as the DSE901. They have a short battery life and limited liquid storage requiring refilling often by the user. Currently this model is no longer sold by traditional Vapor Retailers but is still popular in the U.S. marketplace as big tobacco companies still use this old design with some of the top big box retailers offering the M series with a user purchasing sealed pre filled disposable cartridges, vapor and flavor quality varies greatly which is dependent on manufacturer standards of quality.

Mini 801 Series

Mini Style DSE-801 eCigarette Model, KR808D-1 Model, Greensmoke

Smaller than a pen but larger than a traditional cigarette the 801 eCig models were introduced as a two piece model with the cartridge and atomizer sealed into one piece which are named cartomizers. The cartomizer offered users a longer timeframe between refills however refilling of cartomizers is much more time consuming.

In many cases the model is offered as a disposable unit or with a user purchasing sealed pre filled disposable cartridges but using the same eCig battery and charger. They have a short battery life and the vapor and flavor quality varies greatly which is dependent on manufacturer standards of quality. Currently this model is no longer sold by traditional Vapor Stores but is still popular in the U.S. marketplace as big tobacco companies still use this old design with some of the top big box retailers offering the M series with a user purchasing sealed pre filled disposable cartridges, vapor and flavor quality varies greatly which is dependent on manufacturer standards of quality.

M Series eCigarettes

M Series, 401 electronic cigarette Model, 403 Model, 400 Model

Often referred to as the 403 this model is the same size as an actual cigarette. M Series models were introduced as a three piece model which includes a refillable plastic cartridge, a heating element called an atomizer and a lithium battery. However these models also come in a newer two piece version that combined and sealed the cartridge and atomizer into one piece which are named cartomizers.

Due to the small size of this unit the vapor output is very limited and the battery life is extremely short. Currently this model is no longer sold by traditional Vapor Shops but is still popular in the U.S. marketplace as big tobacco companies still use this old design with some of the top big box retailers offering the M series with a user purchasing sealed pre filled disposable eCig cartridges, vapor and flavor quality varies greatly which is dependent on manufacturer standards of quality.

Size is similar to a thick pen and the length can range from slightly larger than a 100's style cigarette with the length increasing depending on battery options. The inventor was Janty but the first major manufacturer to mainstream the eGo design was Joyetech. The eGo model was introduced as a three piece model which includes a refillable plastic cartridge, a heating element called an atomizer and a lithium battery.

The atomizer of this eCig model is a 510 series but the eCig battery was the major change improving the life span between recharges by nearly 300%. This eCig atomizer system model is estimated as one of the largest global sellers in 2010 and 2011. This version is no longer being offered in the United States

Tank Series Electronic Cigarettes

510-T Model, eGo-T model, eGo-C Model, eCab Model, eRoll Model

Size varies greatly dependent on eCig model varying from the same size of a cigarette up to a large cigar shape. The very first tank model was invented by Ovale but the first major manufacturer to mainstream the tank system design was Joyetech. The tank system models were introduced as a three piece unit which includes a refillable plastic tank cartridge that does not have any fiber filling, a heating element called an atomizer and a lithium battery.

The atomizer of this model has a small pointed tip that pierces the tank cartridge which allows for more liquid being stored and evenly fed to the atomizer. All previous e-Cigarettes with atomizer systems had fiber filled cartridges which kept the liquid in place until converted into vapor. These models are no longer being offered in the United States

Size varies from a thin pen eCig up to a thick pen eCig and the length can range from slightly larger than a 100's style cigarette and increase in length depending on battery option. When introduced the clearomizer was offered with a eGo style battery but recently 510 size versions are also being offered. Vision was one of the most popular clearomizer brands when released. But with improved designs from competitors many other premium Brands have entered the market including kangertech, smoktech and iTaste.

These eCigarette vapor models are two piece systems, the clearomizer will always have a clear viewing window or a clear housing so you can view the level of eLiquid. The clearomizer holds both the eLiquid smoke juice and the heating element which in a clearomizer is called a coil, clearomizers exchange the liquid in a slightly different way than a atomizer resulting in a slight difference between the two designs.

Clearomizer units is one of the fastest selling series due to its easy of use, battery life, vapor output and price point. Due to the popularity of this series the quality varies greatly which is dependent on manufacturer standards of quality.

Variable Voltage VV/VW "MODs" Series

Provari, Smoktech, Innokin iTaste, MVP, Joyetech eVic, Ovale eVic

Size is similar to a thick cigar and the unit will usually accept multiple heating devices including cartomizers, atomizer systems and clearomizers. Many of the VV/VW models have a removable battery that can be charged independent of the unit. The major difference with VV/VW models are the ability to change the voltage or wattage output, VV stands for variable voltage, VW stands for variable wattage. The options offered by VV/VW vapor models make them highly sought after by heavy users who have previously been heavy smoker. The one major drawback to these models are excessive size. These units offer the best vapor output, battery life and long term durability over smaller sized eCig models.

Electronic Cigarettes Devices With Removable Batteries.

With the introduction of MOD’s a whole new way of charging was introduced as users could now remove the battery. These batteries allow vapor users to swap a depleted battery for a fully charged battery on the fly, with more powerful devices coming of age this was a needed option. These battery types included 10440, 14500, 18350, 18500, 18650 and 26650 being the big boy.

The numbers I just listed may seem meaningless but these are not model numbers but a description of the physical size of the battery with the first two digits referring to the width of the battery size and the last three digits referring to the length of the battery. These batteries not only came in different sizes but also offered different materials such as IMR, INR, ICR, etc.

These materials played a large role in the voltage and mAh (milliamps per hour). These materials also influenced the general safety of each lithium-ion battery and during this time frame it was wise for a user to understand the chemical makeup of each design and the risks associated especially when using them in unregulated mechanical mods.

In 2017 the 18650 is the most common battery used in mainstream vapor devices that use removable batteries as they balance the size to onboard power storage (mAh). A quick safety note, Always safeguard loose batteries when they are not enclosed within a vapor device as loose lithium-ion batteries poses a safety risk as they can be shorted by foreign metal objects.

Electronic Cigarettes Featuring Airflow Control

Airflow control made a big difference when selecting a e-cigarette vape device. Airflow control is pretty straight forward, the top end of an electronic cigarette (tank or clearomizer) are manually changed by the user and allows the eCig user to modify the ease of inhale while vaping.

This is an important option especially for those new electronic cigarette users who are smokers. Tobacco cigarettes have a hard pull when inhaling and many new e-cigarette users want to mimic that sensation with an e-cigarette.

Airflow control is also very important with regard to SubOhm e-cigarette devices (found farther down in this article). If e-cigarette users used a SubOhm coil head (0.25, 0.5, 0.6 etc.) they would find that the vapor may be very warm and possibly uncomfortable to vape. The airflow control option allowed e-cigarette users to open the airflow control allowing for more airflow which cooled the vapor resulting in an optimum setting conducive to each individual.

Although unregulated (unsafe) mechanical mods had been used for years (mainly homemade) it wasn’t until now that these mechanical mods were widely available to the general public with both online and brick and mortar vapor stores offering these models. These devices are mechanical which means they do not have any electronic technology onboard such as safety protection circuits.

Unless you are an advanced user with a vast knowledge of ohm’s law these units are not recommended and are very dangerous eCigs if built improperly. Training and extensive research is a must before any attempt to use a Mechanical Mod.

The size of an unregulated (dangerous) mechanical mod is similar to a thick cigar but can increase in size up to a box mod that could hold one, two or three batteries. Mechanical Mod’s will usually accept multiple heating devices but it was Rebuildable Tanks, RTA’s and RDA’s that were most common to mechanical mods as you could push the limits by building your own coils.

Mechanical Mod Series allows users to build their own heating elements and use them on mechanical operating mod units. This allows the users to configure every aspect of a eCig device including overloading the unit to the level of failure and lithium-ion run away scenario's which are very dangerous.

Mainstream SubOhm Electronic Cigarettes Models

The specific time frame of SubOhm eCig devices is a bit muddy. Remember when we mentioned Mechanical Mods and the dangers, well the danger of those mod’s was due to bringing your coil to 0.0. Anything below 1.0 is SubOhm (as of 2017, 0.5 ohm is currently the most common SubOhm Coil setting) so technically this would be the first instances or use.

In this section we are speaking of mainstream devices, the Aspire vapor brand released the first mainstream tank and battery device into the eCig marketplace, however safety was still an issue as many eCigarette users placed the newly design SubOhm tank onto an unregulated mechanical MOD which held a great deal of risk to the user as mechanics MODs did not contain safety protection circuitry.

Over time more and more complete eCigarette kits with built in safety protection appeared featuring both standard “classic vaping” settings and SubOhm settings. As of 2017 more than 50% of eCigarette starter kits sold in vape retail stores offer SubOhm options and all of these eCig units have built in protection (except for Mechanical MODs).

This mainstream device is very important to the e-cigarette marketplace as it was the last key needed for many heavy smokers. With a SubOhm device a user receives massive amounts of warm vapor and allot of flavor, finally, the heaviest tobacco user had a heavy duty option in the world of electronic cigarettes.

SubOhm is now commonly associated with being unsafe due to the time period of Mechanical MOD’s popularity. So onto the big question “are these e-cigarettes safe to use?”. They are as safe as any mainstream electronic device such as a smartphone or laptop. I cannot tell you that these units are 100% safe just as I cannot tell you your smartphone is 100% safe.

However I can tell you I personally trust them 100% (reputable brands) and I can tell you that in the extremely unlikely event of overheating they would not explode. Overheating is something to take seriously but if you take immediate steps to safeguard yourself you would be fine. It is important that you personally check that a device you purchase has built in protection which is clearly listed for every device (reputable retailers).

All In One Electronic Cigarettes Models

All in one devices feature everything within one unit such as the Joyetech eGrip device. This includes the power source (battery), heating element (commonly a coil head), circuitry, built-in protection and of course a built-in eLiquid reservoir. Commonly these eCigarette devices feature eLiquid top-fill access, airflow control, USB PTC charging, and variable wattage and voltage settings, truly a all in one unit.

eCigarette users like these models as they are smaller in size over two piece units of comparable power. All in one devices also solved any possible connection problems over two piece models which can be problematic in many multi piece vapor devices. As of 2017 this design has become increasingly popular and many experienced users see this option as the model of the future for mainstream devices.

Many of the large “All In One” electronic cigarette models offer removable 18650 batteries. These batteries allow for vapor users to swap a depleted battery for a fully charged battery on the fly which is a handy feature when on the go. A quick safety note, although these units commonly have built in safety protection a 18650 battery commonly does not. Please safeguard loose batteries when they are not enclosed within the device.

TopFill Tanks and All In One Electronic Cigarette Devices With TopFill

All I can say regarding this option is “It’s about time!” as this is a pretty straight forward design change. In previous designs you would remove the clearomizer or vape tank from the battery device, turn the clearomizer or vape tank upside down, unscrew the base and refill the reservoir. This process can be time consuming and in many cases messy as new eCigarette users might expose their skin to nicotine liquid which if not properly cleaned off can be a health risk as your skin will absorb the nicotine. Newer clearomizers and vape tanks are much easier to fill but with the introduction of TopFill vapor tank designs the process is quick and easy as these systems allow a vapor user to unscrew the top of the tank allowing for easy filling.

Well folks, that's it for now. We hope you found this section useful and educational.

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